


New Endeavours: Volume 4

by ChristaWolf, LonghaulHoofer



Series: New Endeavours [4]
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Star Trek
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-03 05:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16320260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristaWolf/pseuds/ChristaWolf, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonghaulHoofer/pseuds/LonghaulHoofer
Summary: With the changeling war ended, Gemini Shadow and her crew of humanoid Equestrians continue their mission of exploration aboard a new vessel, the USS Enterprise-F. But a new ship isn't the only change in store. Dustin Hoofer and Sonata Dusk have departed, their positions taken up by Dr. Midnight Chime and Petty Officer Spitfire respectively. Also new is Robin Mostolsky, the human girlfriend of Commander Raven.





	1. Dedication

For Longhaul, without whom this journey would not have been possible. Live long and prosper, for I have been, and always shall be your friend.

-Christa


	2. The Continuing Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Gem prepares to receive a new posting, the crew must deal with losses of their own, as the fallout of the war becomes clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longhaul Hoofer retired from the co-writer position of this series, as well as Equestria Girls, on October 14th, 2018. He has been credited for his contributions here, but going forward, the co-writer role will be filled by someone else.

Gem walked through the grounds of Shadowfall Manor, speaking into a small pocket recorder. _“Gemini’s personal log, stardate 83686.0. With the destruction of the USS Endeavour by the changelings some months ago, I am now a captain without a ship. We have spent the last few months in Equestria, mourning those who died during the war, and beginning the rebuilding process. In the case of Shadowfall Manor, a time reversal spell of considerable strength was cast upon the ruins, requiring the combined efforts of 3 alicorns and myself, given my affinity for time magic. It now stands as it was before Chrysalis’ death, except for a large skid mark on one patch of floor.”_

_“While the remaining members of my crew are transferred, Lieutenant Commander Emerald Wave will stay here and oversee construction of the next incarnation of the Endeavour, to be built right here in Ponyville. I have already chosen Ms. Robin Mostolsky to serve as Chief Engineer in her place until construction is complete. Miss Wave has not been forthcoming about what exactly she has planned, but she *has* told me she intends for Equestrian magic to be a crucial component of the new designs.”_

She sighed. _“But that is not the only change in personnel to report… Our chief medical officer, Dustin Hoofer, informed me that after the events of the recent war, he’d seen enough death, and enough loss. He has chosen to resign his commission, and Sonata, his faithful fiancé, has chosen to go with him.” She sniffled. “I will not deny… it is their departure that hurts the most. Crewmates are easily replaced… friends are much harder to come by. Nevertheless, their positions aboard the Enterprise will be filled in due course, with volunteer Equestrians if we can find any.”_

She stood at her father’s gravesite and sighed, placing a framed photograph of her and her parents beside the headstone, then continued. _“The court martial that is traditionally held when a captain loses their ship has determined that the Endeavour’s destruction was the result of changelings, and absolved me of any guilt. And so, the USS Enterprise has been dispatched to collect the remaining Endeavour crew and take us to Earth, where we will be given a new ship assignment.”_

* * *

As its predecessor had done over 30 years before, the Enterprise-E floated in the Equestrian skies, positioned in orbit with Ponyville.

Two figures shimmer into existence just inside the manor’s front gates. One is an older gentleman, bald, while his companion has dark grey hair, a thin white beard, and thick glasses. They are Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Admiral William T. Riker, by now very old and ready to move on.

“This is probably going to be the last time we see this place, isn’t it, Captain?” Riker said, eyeing the well-kept manor house.

Picard nodded. “It certainly is, Number One.” Further discussion was stopped when Gem came out the front door, flanked by Raven and Sunset.

Gem smiled warmly and shook Picard’s hand. “A pleasure as always to see you, Captain, and of course, you too Mr. Riker. We’re glad you could come pick us up.”

Picard smiled. “We were not originally supposed to make this journey, Captain Shadow, but your ruling sisters requested that we do, citing your family history. The timing was most fortunate, as… well, there’s no easy way to say it, so I will be blunt: we are being decommissioned.”

Gem’s jaw dropped. “No! Surely not!”

Riker smiled sadly. “It’s true, Gemini. Once we’ve dropped you off in San Francisco, we, and the Enterprise, will return to space dock. They’ve just finished building the next model, and are searching for a crew now.”

“And what will you do with yourselves?” Gem asked.

Picard shrugged. “I shall be returning to France, and Riker will be resuming his teaching post at Starfleet Academy. Our time has long since passed, Captain. The Enterprise deserves a new crew, fresh faced, with a real spirit of adventure. A next generation, you might say.”

Gem’s eyes widened, and smirked. “Do you know something that I don’t, Jean-Luc Picard?”

Picard smiled again. “All things in good time. Come, we have a delivery to make.” And with that, Gem, and the rest of the surviving Endeavour crew, boarded the Enterprise-E for the last time.

* * *

“Hm, Sovereign class. I’d studied about them, never thought I’d be running the Engineering section of one, though,” Robin said after they beamed aboard.

“Not quite, Ensign Mostolsky,” says Picard, stepping off the transporter pad with the others. “Starfleet elected to revive the old Constitution-class of the 23rd century, and bring it up to date with contemporary design aesthetics, and the Enterprise-F, given the name’s history, will be the first of her kind.”

“How do you know of all this, sir?” Robin asked curiously.

Picard smiled. “It was all my idea, you see. Well, mine and Admiral Janeway’s.” He turned to Gem. “Which reminds me, Admiral Janeway will want to see you once we arrive at Earth.”

Gem gulped, and felt a faint tingling in her fingers for a reason she couldn’t explain. “Me, sir? Why?”

“She will explain everything in due course,” said Picard simply. “Number One, kindly show our guests to their quarters, please. I will be on the bridge in the meantime.” Riker nodded, and the group broke up.

* * *

Gem, Dusk, Raven, and Robin were grouped together in one room, with one bed for each couple. Gem sat down on a couch, holding Dusk’s hand and looking over at Raven, who sat next to Robin. “I wish we could get to Earth sooner… I can’t bear the suspense!” she said. “Captain Picard keeps dropping hints! I suspect they have something big planned, but I don’t dare guess what it might be…”

“Looks like you’ll be finding out when we get there,” Raven said with a chuckle. “You know how tight-lipped he can be regarding this stuff.”

Gem nodded. “How’s the rest of the crew holding up?”

“They’re doing well, all of them busy getting up to speed with the new ship’s specs,” Raven answered.

Gem chuckled. “Excellent.” She kissed Dusk’s cheek fondly, and the four talked quietly together as the ship continued on its way to Earth.

* * *

Hours later, the Enterprise-E floated into spacedock, and there was a sorrowful goodbye as its crew slowly departed, either to other ships, or to the blissful quiet of retirement. Gem shared one last hug with Captain Picard, then beamed down to Starfleet Headquarters with him. He would empty his office and take a transport to France. Gem, meanwhile, went up to Admiral Janeway’s office.

Admiral Kathryn Janeway, formerly of the USS Voyager, looked across her office desk at Gemini Shadow. “Captain Shadow, I’m going to be honest: you are quite possibly the luckiest captain in all of Starfleet right now.”

Surprised by this pronouncement, Gem widened her eyes and said “With respect, Admiral… why do you say so?”

Janeway held up Gem’s reports, which were stored on a PADD. “While the loss of the Endeavour is regrettable, it came at a very lucky time. As I’m sure you know, the USS Enterprise-F has just been built, and Command has been searching for a crew ever since Jean-Luc Picard informed us of his retirement. In fact, it was he who told me who he thought his successor should be: you.”

Gem’s heart nearly stopped, and she placed a hand on her chest. “M-Me, ma’am?”

Janeway nodded. “It was the same feeling that led him to nominate you to the command program as a first-year cadet. I admit to feeling somewhat skeptical, but after looking over your files…” She smiled. “I now understand exactly what he meant. Captain, you’ve got a keen sense of right and wrong, and a determination to do the right thing even when the odds are stacked against you. You carry yourself with the same professionalism Picard does, but there’s a spark in your eye that takes me right back to when I was assigned to Voyager. I saw that when we first met on your bridge, and I see it now.”

Gem blushed. “I do my best, ma’am.”

Janeway smiled still more. “If everything I’ve seen here is your best, Captain Shadow, then the Enterprise is in very good hands. Will you, Captain Gemini Aquarius Shadow, accept the captaincy of the Federation’s new flagship, the USS Enterprise-F?”

Gem smiled back, and saluted. “With honor, Admiral.”

The two shook hands, and Janeway placed a hand on Gem’s shoulder. “Thank you, Captain. I believe your father would be very proud of you.”

Gem looked up at the ceiling and smiled. “Oh, he is, ma’am. I have no doubt.”

* * *

Orion’s spirit was absolutely ecstatic when Gem told him the news. She spoke to him via a video link from his gravesite in Equestria. He bounced around on spectral hooves, grinning. “Oh Gemini, this is fantastic news! My daughter, captain of the Enterprise! Do you know what this means?!”

“What does it mean, Father?” Gem asked, unable to keep herself from grinning back.

Orion beamed. “Not only are you the first ever female captain to helm a ship bearing the name, you’re the first non-human! The first Equestrian! If this doesn’t seal Equestria’s place in the Federation, I do not know what will!” He sighed happily. “Oh Gem… you’ve made us both very proud. Will you be completing your seven-year mission aboard that ship?”

Gem shook her head. “My appointment is strictly temporary, until the new Endeavour is finished.”

Orion nodded. “Quite a temporary assignment… but I knew, deep down, you’d do it. Congratulations, Gemini!” A wind starts to blow. “I must be going, but keep sending those mission reports along! I want to know every detail!”

Gem laughed. “I most certainly will! Until next time, Father!” Orion disappeared, and the screen went dark.

* * *

“So, the rumors are true, huh?” Emerald Wave said, via comm-link. “You got the Big E?!”

Gem smiled. “I certainly did, Emerald. Though only for the year, Admiral Janeway was quick to explain that this will simply be a shakedown cruise.”

Emerald waved her hand. “So what? It’s still really bucking cool! This oughta keep us from getting kicked out of Starfleet for sure!”

“We can only hope,” Gem answered. “Anyway, the staff here are putting on a few finishing touches, then we’ll set course for Equestria.”

Emerald nodded. “Good to know, Princess Celestia wants to speak with you anyway, she said it was about the recent… departures.” She looked down, smile fading.

“Yes… I thought so,” Gem said quietly. “See you in a few hours, Emerald.” Again the screen went dark.

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, Gem and her remaining senior staff were beamed up to the [Enterprise-F](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b5/d1/c9/b5d1c98e8ef37b3cdb323b6ca46a0c26.jpg) for the first time. The rest of the crew, meanwhile, had either been transferred over from other ships. Aside from a lack of helm and chief medical officers, they otherwise had a full compliment, around 3000. 

As the senior staff appeared in the [transporter room](http://bit.ly/2RUuTG7), Raven took a look around. “Looks pretty spiffy to me,” she said, stepping down off the pad.

“Indeed,” Gem agreed, leading the seven of them (herself, Raven, Twilight, Adagio, Aria, Sunset, and Robin) through a corridor to the [turbolift](http://bit.ly/2Epcw9N) and up onto the [bridge](http://bit.ly/2RS0RTv).

“Sweet Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed, as they stepped onto the bridge for the first time. “Look at this place, Gem! It’s huge!”

“You can say that again,” Sunset agreed. “I didn’t realize how small the Miranda-class [bridge](http://bit.ly/2RSvt7q) was until now.”

“What gets me is how clean this place is,” Aria commented. “It looks like the Apple Stores of old Earth.”

“Yeah, but check out that view screen!” Robin chirped. “It’s a real window this time!”

“We’ll have plenty of time to get used to things, ladies,” Gem said. “For now… let’s take our seats, shall we?” She strode over to the center of the room, where three simple black chairs stood, rather than the more cushioned ones she was used to. She sat down in the middle, with Raven to her left, and Sunset to her right. Adagio and Twilight sat directly behind her, and Aria directly in front. Robin took up a position on the starboard wall.

Gem closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, then spoke. “Alright… I’m ready. Ms. Dusk… that is, Ms. Blaze… set course for Equus, warp seven.”

“Aye, Captain,” said Aria, without emotion. She tapped her glass touch display a few times. “Course set and locked in, ma’am.”

“Engage,” said Gem, and the ship streaked away toward the distant stars.

* * *

_“First officer’s personal log, stardate 83686.2: we’re in orbit around Equus. Gem has gone below to chat with the Royal Sisters, and I am about to take Robin down to talk with Emerald about something.”_

A knock came on the door of Raven’s new quarters, and she looked up. “Who is it?”

“It’s me!” Robin called out. “Are we going, or what?” Her voice was light and teasing.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Raven slid the door open and tossed a pillow at her girlfriend’s face with her magic, grinning. “I think you’ll really like what Emmy has, she says she’s been working on it for months.” The two hurried off to the turbolift.

* * *

“Hey guys!” Emerald chirped, as Raven and Robin materialized in the Castle of Friendship. “Glad you could make it!” She held up a blue sapphire suspended from a [necklace](https://www.deviantart.com/floralisole/art/The-Dazzlings-Necklace-623200315). “Check this out!”

Robin blinked. “You… made this necklace? I mean, it’s pretty and all, but what gives? Raven said you had something for me!”

Emerald nodded. “Yeah! It’s not just any old amulet of course, this thing has Equestrian magic inside of it!” She looked to Raven. “You know how Dagi and the girls use their pendants to control their siren abilities? Before she left, I had Sonata help me apply the same principle to this sapphire. Once it bonds with Robin, she’ll be able to use magic as well as us!”

“And how exactly do I bond with this thing?” Robin asked.

Emerald smiled, and handed the necklace to her. “Just put it on, the spells cast on it will do the rest!”

Robin took the necklace and put it on. Immediately it began to glow, and a rainbow burst forth from the gem, surrounding Robin. Then it dissipated, and she now had dark brown pony ears and a tail to match her hair. “Whoa… is this permanent?”

“Nope,” Emerald answered. “It’ll only last as long as you’re wearing the necklace. Sparks and me cast some spells on it to keep it from breaking, but magic is no substitute for taking care of your stuff. So be careful, and try not to break it. Otherwise… bad things could happen. Got it?”

“Got it,” said Robin, gulping. “I hope I’m as good a chief engineer as you.”

Emerald gave her a hug. “I think you’ll do just fine, Robin.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Gem stepped into the [throne room](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/8/8d/MLP_The_Movie_background_art_-_Canterlot_throne_room.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170803220358) of Canterlot Castle, flanked by two guardsponies. She bowed.

“First, allow me to congratulate you on your new assignment, Gemini,” Princess Celestia said, smiling down at Gem.

“Thank you, Your Majesties,” said Gem, rising from her bow. “It is a great honor, and I will do my best to make sure I represent our world as well as possible.”

Luna nodded. “As we know all too well,” she agreed. “But that is not the only reason we have called you here today.” She looked to one of the guardsponies. “Bring in the new officers, please.”

The guard nodded silently and trotted into a side room, returning after a few moments with two figures: one was an Equestrian pony, a pegasus mare with bright yellow fur and an orange and yellow mane and tail.

Gem gaped. “Captain Spitfire?!”

“Petty officer first class Spitfire now,” said the mare, saluting with a grin. “But yes. I’m your new helmsmare, Captain Shadow. I had to do _something_ after retiring from the ‘Bolts, and joining your crew seemed like a good idea.”

“Since the conclusion of the recent unpleasantness,” Luna added, “Ms. Spitfire has been receiving training at the Starfleet Technical Services Academy on Mars, and is now quite prepared for her new position.”

Gem smiled. “A tad unorthodox, but I’ll take it. Welcome aboard, Ms. Spitfire.” She turned to the other figure. “And you are?”

“Dr. Midnight Chime, formerly Princess Luna’s personal physician,” said the [figure](http://tinyurl.com/y3o4cwl9), an earth stallion who looked to be in his late 50s. He had a slate grey coat with a messy silver mane and tail and intense blue eyes, above which were the fiercest eyebrows Gem had ever seen in her life. “And in case you had any doubts about my qualifications, I _also_ served as Dr. Hoofer’s mentor when he was an intern at the Royal Canterlot Hospital.”

“So if there’s anypony who’s qualified to serve as our CMO in Dustin’s absence, it’s you,” Gem finished for him. She shook his hoof with one hand and snapped her fingers with the other, and two 2390s Starfleet uniforms, in red and blue, materialized in her arms, designed for an earth pony and a pegasus.

She handed the uniforms to each of her new crewmates, smiling. “You both have big shoes to fill, but I’m certain you’ll do just fine. Enterprise, two to beam up please.” Spitfire and Chime disappeared.

Luna looked shrewdly down at Gem, and trotted down the ramp to her, placing a hoof on Gem’s shoulder. “Alright, what’s troubling you?” she asked. “It’s not like you to let your officers beam away without you.”

Gem sighed, her shoulders sagging. “It’s Dustin and Sonata… don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my new officers, but… I just feel that those two should be here instead. To have them gone… it doesn’t feel right. Like a part of me is missing.”

“Somehow, I thought you might say that,” Luna said. “Which is why Dustin and Sonata asked me to give you this.” She floated over a scroll with her magic, which Gem unrolled, and began to read.

_“Dear Gem, or Captain, or Your Eminence, if you prefer…_

_I’ve always felt that those interpersonal communications were a touch on the cold side, didn’t you?That’s why I opted to send a scroll instead, for old time’s sake.That, and I surrendered all of my Starfleet gear when I resigned my commission.But, that’s as may be._

_I never imagined how hard it would be to write this letter.As Sonata will attest, I must have started this paragraph at least ten times, just trying to put some perspective into all that we’ve been through together.Sonata suggested that I simply speak from my heart, and I figure I have nothing to lose, so here goes…_

_Gem, what can I say about our journey together?We’ve literally been through hell and back, from one end of the galaxy to the other, and despite it all, we’ve managed to come out not much worse for the wear.We’ve shared joys and sorrows, ups and downs, and through it all, we’ve managed to forge a friendship that transcends all of that._

_There are times I wish I could have met you before Starfleet, been able to have known you as more than the other clone girl I would occasionally see on her many visits to the specialists in Canterlot.And yet, even for the brief time I’ve known you, I feel a kinship with you that goes beyond the boundaries of friends and feels more like … well, like family.Thinking about it, all of us are a big family, being the only types of our kind in existence._

_You’re probably wondering why I chose to resign my commission, and I suppose I do owe you the courtesy of an explanation.The short answer is, I’m tired of it.I’m sick of the bureaucracy, of the reams of reports they ask me to fill out each and every waking minute of my day, and I’ve grown a bit weary of traveling around with no real footing to call home.That, and I think it’s time I settled down and thought about starting a family with Sonata.Oddly enough, she agreed to stay with me despite the lure of gallivanting around the cosmos seeking adventure.I’ve spoken at length with Aunties Celestia and Luna about this, and they understand, even going as far as to help me set up a practice in Appleloosa, where they are in desperate need of an old country doctor.While I’m not that old yet, I find being the only medic in that town to be a new challenge, one I’m eagerly looking forward to tackling._

_When I turned in my resignation, I submitted a list of capable candidates that, in my eyes, would be worthy successors to the rank of CMO on your vessel, whichever vessel they happen to give you.They have my full trust, and are worthy of yours as well._

_There’s not much left to say except, I wish you safe journeys, don’t be a stranger, come and visit me sometime, always remember that I love you much as if you were my sister.Tell the others I wish them well and I do hope they’ll come by for a visit sometime._

_Peace, love, and starry skies,_

_Dustin_

_PS from Sonata:Gem, I can’t thank you enough for your confidence in me, and it’s been great to serve with you.I know we’ve had some rocky times at the start, which I don’t mind so much because without them I never would have met Dustin, and I am glad to have had you as both a captain and a friend.This isn’t goodbye, it’s an until we meet again and it better be soon!Hugs from me and Dustin!_

As she finished reading, Gem began to cry profusely, burying her face in Luna’s shoulder. The moon princess wrapped her front legs around the distraught captain in a hug, stroking her with a hoof. “Will you be departing immediately?” Luna asked, once Gem’s sobs had subsided.

“Not yet,” she replied. “There’s one more thing I must do…”

* * *

Gem entered the changeling embassy and strode up to Steno Pad’s office, knocking on the door. Steno been stationed here since the end of the war, assisting in the rebuilding efforts and trying to fix his species’ reputation. “Come on in!” he called out.

Gem entered, and got right to the point: “Steno, I have a mission for you.”

“You do?” Steno looked up, and smiled slightly. “I mean, technically you’re not my commanding officer, but as Queen Calyx gave me standing orders to assist you in whatever task you assign to me… what’s up?”

“It concerns a department of Starfleet Intelligence known as Section 31,” Gem began. “As you know, the late Alan Brown was its head until his death last year, and he made that organization’s mission to remove Equestria and her officers out of Starfleet. But racism has never been limited to one organization. We need someone to go in deep cover and see just how thoroughly it has infected Command.”

“But what will you do?” Steno asked. “Present your findings to the admirals?”

“But of course,” Gem replied. “It’s the only course of action we have.”

Steno sighed. “Very well, I accept your mission, Captain. When do we leave?”

“Right now,” said Gem with a smile. “Enterprise, two to beam up!”

Steno’s jaw dropped. “Did you just say Enter-?!” He was cut off as the particle beam dispersed the two of them.

* * *

In her [ready room](http://bit.ly/2RUVkLS), Gem faced the window which spanned the whole length of the wall, and looked out at the stars. She thought of her old ship, now a burnt-out ruin left somewhere in Ponyville. She thought of her old crewmates, from those who had passed during the war to those who left only recently. Though she had achieved the absolute pinnacle of her career, she wasn’t happy. This ship was strange and new, its crew unfamiliar. But she had to go on. She _had_ to, for the benefit of her crew, and for those left behind. And so, she did.

Fingering her commbadge, she looked out at the passing starfield, and whispered: “Space… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship _Enterprise._ Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life, and new civilizations. To…” She swallowed, a tear rolling down her cheek. “To boldly go… where no mare has gone… before.”


	3. One of Our Starships is Missing: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gem's first mission aboard her new command is to go back in time, on this occasion to Nazi Germany, in the hopes of recovering a missing starship. While there, she meets a group of unlikely allies: Col. Robert Hogan and his band of heroes.

_“Captain’s log, stardate 83707.9. USS Enterprise, Gemini Shadow commanding. Starfleet Command has ordered us to Earth to receive details of our next mission.”_

* * *

[San Francisco](http://bit.ly/2S5bd2x) had changed quite a bit since Gem had seen it last. Bombing campaigns by changeling and Romulan strike forces during the war had rendered some parts of the city utterly unrecognizable, and the once proud Golden Gate Bridge now stood half-repaired, just beyond the land that made up Starfleet Headquarters.

“I certainly hope they aren’t leading us into a trap this time,” said Commander Raven Shadow, as she and her sister Gemini walked through the halls to the [briefing room](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/File:Starfleet_headquarters_briefing_room.jpg) where they’d get their mission. “The last time the head honchos ordered us here for a briefing, they damn near killed you.”

“I remember that occasion vividly, sister,” said Gem dryly. “But I don’t think we have anything to worry about this time; Emerald’s detection spells all came up negative.” They entered the room, and sat down at the foot of the circular table.

[Admiral Janeway](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/File:Kathryn_Janeway,_2404.jpg) stood at the head of the table and faced them. “Welcome, Captain and Commander Shadow, to the big leagues,” she began. “I don’t need to tell you about the Enterprise’s history. You know first-hand that taking command of any ship with that name will test you like nothing else in your careers. You’ve come a long way from when your parents served aboard the Enterprise-D as ambassadors, and that means you get to take the big assignments… like this one.” She sat down. “Do either of you know about the [USS Serenity](http://bit.ly/2ShwG8H)?”

“A Firefly-class vessel, isn’t she?” Raven asked.

Janeway nodded. “That’s right. She was commanded by Captain [Malcolm Reynolds](http://bit.ly/2SaaWeX), and outfitted with some of our more… _experimental_ technology, including a lot of stuff your chief engineer shared with us. Then she went missing.”

There was a long silence. Gem and Raven exchanged identical looks of utter disbelief, then Gem said: “…Missing, Admiral? Forgive my bluntness, but how in the universe do you lose an experimental starship?”

“We can make a few guesses,” Janeway answered. “For starters, the ship used the light speed breakaway factor to travel back in time, to an earlier point in Earth’s history. We found an artron energy trail left behind in the atmosphere, and as it only showed up after the Serenity was reported missing…”

“And what exactly _is_ artron energy?” Raven asked.

“A form of radiation that exists in what is known as the time vortex,” Gem explained. “Anything that travels through it becomes coated in artron energy, and leaves it behind when they reappear back in normal space, as Starswirl discovered when he was working on his time spells.”

“Exactly,” Janeway said. “We followed that energy signature back to the year 1943, during the height of the Second World War. We know it’s in Germany, but other than that, we have no other details. Which brings me to your mission… you must go back in time, find the _Serenity_ , and return to this time _without_ breaking the temporal prime directive.”

“Then, with respect ma’am, why call us?” Gem asked. “My second ever mission as a captain involved my crew going back in time to assist Captain James T. Kirk in the Organia mission.”

“Yes, but the historical record of the event makes no mention of you,” Janeway said. “Up to a point, causality can take care of itself. Your mission, as far as the rest of the universe is concerned, is complete fiction. You’re the perfect choice for this operation precisely _because_ you’ve traveled in time before. No one else, not even Jean-Luc Picard, would be capable.”

“Understood, ma’am,” said Raven finally. “Is that all?”

“Not yet,” said Janeway. “You’ll need a way to get there, and the light-speed breakaway factor is too imprecise. Which is why we collaborated with your chief engineer to create something she calls the trans-temporal drive.”

“How does it work?” Gem asked.

Janeway smiled. “I’ll let her explain it,” she said, and slid a PADD across the table to Gem. She pressed a button, and a video of Emerald began to play on the screen. She waved. “Hi Gem! If you’re watching this, then that means you know about the trans-temporal drive! I’ve been working on it and a couple of other projects all summer, and I think you’re really gonna love it! A couple of months ago, I calculated how many times we all have traveled in time since our mission began, and I realized something: we only got to when we were supposed to be by pure luck! And if we’re going to keep jumping around in time like we have been, then we need something with more control, which is where the drive comes in!” She grinned. “Here to help me is who else but our own Aunt Starlight!”

Starlight Glimmer trotted into view, blushing. “Thanks, Emerald. As you know, I’ve had my own fair share of experiences with time travel, even Starswirl himself hasn’t traveled in time as much as I have! For the trans temporal drive, we took the basic principle of warp drive and applied it to the time vortex. First, pick a date using the ship chronometers, then use your normal warp drive to work your way up to factor 8.8. Emerald, or whoever replaces her on your next vessel, will then cast a modified version of Starswirl’s spell by pressing a button on the engineering console, which will allow you to enter the time vortex and go right to the specified point in the past or future. Good luck!”

As the video ended, Gem looked to Raven and smiled slightly. “I suppose that’s our cue. Wouldn’t you say?”

“Absolutely,” Raven replied. “Do we have your leave, Admiral?”

Janeway nodded. “Dismissed. And best of luck.” The two Equestrians nodded, and disappeared as they beamed up.

* * *

_“Captain’s log, supplemental. The first use of the trans-temporal drive was a perfect success. We are now above Earth in the year 1943, the height of the Second World War. Lieutenant Mostolsky has used Emerald’s invisibility spell to render us undetectable to the human surveillance technology of this time period.”_

“Does anyone know what the weather is like down there?” Raven asked, as she stared out the view screen window at the planet below. They were positioned in geosynchronous orbit with the country of Germany, not that she could see it, given the fact that half of the planet was shrouded in darkness.

“Judging by the fact that the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, I would estimate that it is sometime in the winter,” Twilight answered, pushing her glasses up her nose with her finger. “Artron energy scans indicate the ship is just outside the town of Hammelburg. The town has cold winters, so I’d suggest dressing warm.”

“Very good, Ms. Sparkle,” said Gem. “Sister, Ms. Dazzle, please join me below. Be sure to use what magical camouflage you can to look like a human. Under _no_ circumstances are we to bring any technology with us, even tricorders could contaminate the timeline even more than it already has been. Ms. Sparkle, you have the bridge.” The three officers nodded and quickly go to work.

* * *

A few minutes later, the three Equestrians beamed down into the middle of a forest. All three were dressed in period-correct military uniforms appropriate for their presumed countries of origin: Gem wore the uniform of a British Royal Navy captain, while Raven and Adagio wore Commander and Lieutenant Commander uniforms for the US Navy. They had also been magically altered to resemble caucasian Earth females.

“1943…” Raven said after a moment’s thought. “Germany… doesn’t that mean we’re…”

“In the heart of Nazi territory? It certainly does,” said Adagio. “And if Hitler finds the Serenity, we’re all in trouble.”

“But what’s the plan? We can’t just pull off a swashbuckling rescue like we usually do,” Raven asked.

Before Gem could answer, the three hear the sounds of many dogs all barking at once, and a loud siren. “Follow those noises!” she ordered. “We’ll see where it’s coming from and use the confusion as cover to slip inside!” The other two nodded, and three of them took off into the night, following the sounds.

After a few minutes, they came to what looked for all appearances like an ordinary tree stump. Raven frowned. “There’s something not right about this tree stump,” she said. “Why would it be here when every other tree in the forest is still intact?”

“Good question,” said Adagio, bending down. She brushed some snow away with her fingers and saw a hinge had been placed into a groove cut into the wood. She knocked on the top of the stump, and gasped. “Commander, this stump is hollow! And there’s a hinge, which suggests this is actually a secret door!”

“Really?” Raven bent down too, and stared in shock at what she saw. “You’re right… what do we do, Gem?”

“Open the hatch, climb inside, and hope there’s enough room for three,” Gem replied, opening the stump’s door. She climbed into the hole and found hand and footholds, which she used to make her way down into…

“Ladies, I think we’ve found ourselves a tunnel of some kind!” Gem called up. “Come on down!”

The other two nodded and climbed down after their captain, closing the stump behind them.

Reunited, the three officers wandered through the tunnels, passing everything from a mint to a barbershop to what looked like a communications center. “This is amazing…” Raven whispered. “A whole operation, right underground… not German, right?”

“Not in the least,” Gem answered. “You remember our Earth history classes from the Academy, don’t you? The underground had agents working all across Europe, subverting Nazi rule and sneaking prisoners and other important people back to the United Kingdom to safety.”

“Sounds a lot like the old Asylum,” Adagio remarked, referring to the group of Starfleet officers that acted as a replacement Starfleet Command during the war.

“I just wonder why we haven’t seen anyone here yet,” Raven continued. “Where’d everyone go?”

“Could be they’re all upstairs,” Adagio theorized. “If we’re under a POW camp, and I think we might be, they could be up in their barracks waiting for all the fuss to calm down.”

“Why do you think we’d be near a POW camp?” Raven asked.

“Twilight said the Serenity was last seen outside the city of Hammelburg,” Adagio said. “And if I remember my Earth warfare classes correctly, the nearest prison camp to Hammelburg was Stalag 13, where the main base of Underground operations was led by one Colonel Robert Hogan.”

“Either way, it looks as though we’re about to find out for ourselves,” said Gem, pointing up. They’d reached what looked like a dead end. “There’s a trap door just there,” she said. “But I don’t see any sign of a ladder.”

“Good thing we have magic then,” said Raven, her hands beginning to glow. Lavender pony ears poked through her hair (now completely black), which was joined by a black tail. The other two followed suit, and soon all three of them levitated themselves up to the trap door.

“Good start,” said Adagio, “But we probably shouldn’t use our magic going forward.”

“Right,” said Raven, maneuvering herself so she was directly under the door. “You two hold on to me. I’m part earth pony, I can hold your weights easily!” She grabbed onto a couple of rocks in the wall, using them as handholds, while Gem grabbed Raven’s legs, and Adagio grabbed Gem’s legs. With their pony features gone, they looked like normal humans again.

Raven pushed up on the trap door, making full use of her earth pony strength, and felt something give beneath her palms. The false bottom of the bed rose up and became a ladder, which Gem and Adagio grabbed onto. Raven looked out onto what was a wood cabin, with 7 bunk beds, lockers, and a few doors. But the most important feature was the group of sixteen men, all of whom were looking at the corner bunk with gobsmacked expressions.

Their leader, a dark haired [man](http://highlighthollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bobcrane-colonel.jpg) in a US Air Force jacket, stepped forward to face Raven. “Well… this is a surprise,” he said simply. “We weren’t expecting any new prisoners today.”

“I’ll explain later,” said Raven shortly. “Mind helping me and my friends up?”

The man nodded. “Newkirk, LeBeau, get to it,” he said, and two other men, [one](http://www.sitcomsonline.com/photos/richarddawson.jpg) in blue and [another](http://stalag13.myfunforum.org/archive/cpl.-louis-lebeau__o_t__t_31.html) in brown with a red scarf and beret, stepped forward to help Raven, Gem, and Adagio out of the tunnel. Once they were all settled, the dark-haired man approached Gem, getting right to business. “I’m Colonel Robert Hogan, senior POW officer. What are your names?”

“I am Captain Carina Tenebrae, British Royal Navy,” Gem replied. She gestured to Raven, “This is my First Officer, Commander Jessie Ibbott, and my weapons chief, Kristy Boatwright.” She gestured to Adagio. “German U-Boats attacked our ship as we were escorting another vessel to safe waters. We three are the only ones alive, the rest of my crew were killed.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Hogan. “This is usually the part where I’d ask if you knew any fake officers, but given how you arrived I think it’s safe to assume you aren’t German spies.”

Before anybody could say anything more, Kinch, a dark-skinned man, peered out the window and said, “Colonel, Schultz is on his way, I think they’re getting ready for roll call.”

Hogan sighed. “Oh boy… alright, you three lovely ladies will just have to fall in line behind us. Schultz isn’t exactly the brightest crayon in the box, but I’m sure if we just pass you off as new prisoners there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Let’s hope so,” said Gem, as the lot of them hurried outside for roll call.

* * *

Sergeant Hans Schultz walked slowly down the line of men, counting in German. Everything seemed normal, right up until he got to where the three Starfleeters were standing. “Siebzehn… achtzehn… neunzehn…” He paused. “Neunzehn?!” Very slowly, he turned toward Colonel Hogan with an expression like a frightened rabbit. “Colonel Hogan… why are there three new prisoners here? Why are they lady prisoners? We aren’t set up for lady prisoners! And why did they come out of your barracks?”

“Relax, Schultz,” said Hogan, looking calm. “I’m sure Colonel Klink will be able to explain everything.”

Sure enough, the door of the Kommandant’s cabin opened at that moment and [Colonel Klink](http://bit.ly/2S8poE9) came striding out, clutching his swagger stick. “Report! Report!” he barked.

Schultz turned and saluted. “Mein Kommandant, all prisoners present and accounted for!”

Klink nodded. “I can see that, Schultz, and I can also see that we seem to have picked up three new prisoners since this morning, _without_ prior notification from Berlin!” He glared over at Hogan, his monocle glinting in the light of the moon. “Colonel Hogan, do you have an explanation for the appearance of these… these… _women_?”

“Seems like they just appeared out of thin air,” said Hogan coolly. “What are you going to do with them, sir?”

Klink thought this over. “If I tell Berlin they’ll have my head… but if I don’t tell them, they’ll have my head anyway.”

“Unless,” Hogan interrupted, “You say you found them with that unidentified flying object that crashed near here earlier.”

Klink nodded again. “Yes… given the special circumstances and everything, I suppose it would make sense to tell Berlin that they were found with that UFO.”

“I’m glad you thought of it, sir,” Hogan replied, smirking slightly.

Klink looked to the three Starfleeters. “You three will report to my office tomorrow morning to be processed properly, and then you will be assigned to a barracks! Is that understood?”

“Crystal, sir,” Gem answered. “What are you going to do with us until then?”

“Schultz, place them in Barracks 4 for now,” Klink ordered. Schultz nodded, and led the Starfleeters away.

Barracks 4, it turned out, was the only empty barracks in the camp, which meant the 3 Equestrians would have complete privacy. Schultz led them inside, gave them a quick tour of the place, then swiftly departed.

Once alone, they changed out of their uniforms and into some spare pajamas they found, undoing their disguise spells at the same moment. “That feels better,” said Gem, watching her skin change color to its usual grey complexion.

“Not gonna lie, a POW camp was the last place I wanted to end up,” Raven said, as she got into bed. “But Klink seems like a real idiot, after the way Hogan played him like a cheap violin.”

“And I think Colonel Hogan could be of great use to us,” said Adagio. “The only question is, who’s going to get to the Serenity first, us or the Germans?”

“I have a feeling we’ll soon find out,” said Gem, sighing heavily. “Tomorrow, the real work begins.” She turned out the barracks lights with her magic and fell asleep in her own bunk, lulled off by the soft snores of her crewmates.

* * *

_“Second officer's log, local calendar date November 7th, 1943. Reports from below indicate that Captain Shadow, Commander Shadow, and Commander Dazzle have found assistance in their quest to find the missing ship, but doing so without arousing German suspicion will be very difficult.”_

“So, do you really think they’ll be able to pull this off?” Aria Blaze asked Twilight, as the two of them walked through the corridors of the Enterprise to the main bridge.

Twilight shrugged. “It depends on what condition the ship is in when they find it. If impulse power can be brought online, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to take it up into space, and we can tow it home with our tractor beam and the trans-temporal drive. If not…”

“Things get more complicated,” Aria finished. “Since we’ll have to figure out a way to get the ship into space without getting caught by the Germans.”

“One thing at a time, Aria,” said Twilight, taking the center chair once more. With little else to do until another report came in from the away team, she busied herself with a digital version of a favorite book, _Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone_.

* * *

Gem walked down the front steps leading to Klink’s office, her human disguise back in place, and now a proper prisoner of the German army. She headed not to her own barracks, but to Barracks 2, where she knew Hogan and the other men would be. She knocked on the door. “Colonel? It’s Captain Tenebrae! You don’t mind very much if I come in, do you?”

The door swung open, but it wasn’t Hogan who greeted her, but Peter Newkirk. He smiled. “Well, good morning, Captain,” he said. “Isn’t this a pleasant surprise! The Colonel was wanting to talk to you anyway, since we didn’t get much time last night.” He moved aside to let her in, and Gem entered.

Newkirk crossed the room and knocked on Hogan’s office door. “Colonel? She’s here.”

The door opened, and Hogan waved her in. “Come on in, Captain,” he said, and Gem did so.

Once the door was closed, Hogan spoke, his voice low. “Okay… you can speak freely here, Captain. Assuming that’s what you actually are. This is the safest place in the camp for us to talk, and it has to be, because of what I do. The other prisoners and me are members of a resistance group, sabotaging the German war effort right from under Klink’s nose. Last night, I radioed London and asked about you. Want to know what they said?”

“What did they say?” said Gem, looking utterly calm.

“They said they had no record of an HMS _Endeavour_ serving in their Navy, let alone a ship captained by a Brit with two Americans as her junior officers,” Hogan answered. “There’s something about you that doesn’t feel right, and I want to know what it is.”

Gem closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking of the Temporal Prime Directive. When she spoke again, her voice was as low as the colonel’s. “My dear colonel… what I am about to say to you will be utterly unbelievable, at first. I only ask that you trust me. I swear upon my life that every word is true. I have a mission to complete, and I will need your help to do it. Is that clear?”

Hogan nodded, and Gem used her magic to release her disguise spell, becoming an Equestrian human once more. “My name is Gemini Shadow. I’m the captain of a ship called the USS Enterprise, and I am here to recover a missing starship. If the Nazis get their hands on it before we do, Colonel… well, the atrocities they will commit will be unlike anything yet seen in your planet’s history.”

“ _Your_ planet?" Hogan blinked. “Where are you really from?”

“I was born in another time, in another world,” Gem replied. “Specifically the planet Equus in the constellation of Zacharele. I am, in your terms, an alien.”

“Looks pretty obvious to me,” Hogan said. “Most girls I know don’t have the ability to change their appearance at will.”

Gem chuckled. “I imagine most girls you know don’t confess that they’re members of an alien species from four hundred and sixty years in your future, either,” she said. “Anyway… the ship my crewmates and I are looking for is called the USS _Serenity_. It was brought here from the distant future, and is a highly experimental craft. Should the Nazis get hold of it, they will certainly win your war, and the course of your history will be significantly changed as a result.”

“All in a day’s work then,” said Hogan dryly. “How big is this thing, Captain Shadow? If I can call you that, of course.”

Gem blushed. “Privately, yes, though in mixed company I’d prefer you use my fake name. The ship is a scientific vessel, and about 24 meters tall, 51 meters wide, and 82 meters long,” she said. “So, hard to miss. My crew were able to trace it back to around the perimeter of this camp, but we don’t know exactly where.”

“Well, we can certainly help out with that part,” Hogan said. “You already know about our tunnel system, so get your crew together, and one of my men take you out to the woods.” He paused. “What do I tell London?”

“Nothing involving our true nature, Colonel,” said Gem, putting her disguise back on. “It’s imperative that no one finds out who we really are. Tell your men if you must, but _only_ them. Understood?”

“Aye, Captain,” said Hogan. “Usually I’d balk at taking orders from someone of an equivalent rank, but…”

“You’re out of your depth,” Gem finished for him. “Don’t worry, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be out of your hair before the day is out.”

Hogan chuckled. “I wouldn’t be so sure. After all, you know the old saying: no plan survives contact with the enemy.”

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, Gem, Raven, and Adagio were walking down the tunnel. With them were Louis LeBeau (who was conversing with Adagio in French) and Andrew Carter, who was talking to Gem and Raven. “Gee, Captain Shadow! I always thought aliens were like something out of Buck Rogers, I didn’t think you were real! You look just like… well, normal folks!”

Gem chuckled. “A disguise spell and little more, Mr. Carter. In our proper forms, I have grey skin, Raven here has lavender, and Adagio has light yellow. We changed our skin tones to fit in here, since technically speaking, your species isn’t due to make first contact for another century or so.”

Raven poked her in the ribs. “Spoilers, sis.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Gem replied. “Mr. Carter, Colonel Hogan was saying you are his chief engineer and weapons expert… given a quick explanation, do you think you could help us get the Serenity working again?”

“I’ll give it a try, Captain!” Carter beamed. “Let’s just hope we get there before the Krauts do!”

“Krauts?” Raven echoed.

“Meaning the Nazis,” Gem clarified. “Ah, here’s the entrance we came through…” She began the climb up, and when she got to the top, peeked through the lid of the trunk door. “The coast is clear,” she said, looking back down. Soon, all five members of the quintet were wandering through the woods, the snow crunching beneath their feet.

“I wish we had our tricorders,” Adagio said, as they followed Le Beau and Carter around. “We could just scan for the ship and we’d go right to it!”

Gem nodded. “Indeed… ordinarily, I’d cite the temporal prime directive, but seeing as Hogan and his men already know our true identities and objectives, I’d say it wouldn’t make much of a difference now.” She took out her magic screwdriver and adjusted a few settings, then pressed the button. The green diode at the top began to glow and whir, starting low, then rising in pitch until… “Aha! Got it! Half a mile, northeast!”

The five of them ran in the direction of the ship, Gem in the lead. After about ten minutes, they found the [ship](http://bit.ly/2ShwG8H) resting in a clearing, her hull scorched, but not completely damaged. Gem took out her screwdriver again and moved it back and forth in front of her. “No life signs of any sort… it seems Reynolds and his crew perished upon arrival. There are also Equestrian magic signatures, suggesting Emerald was able to come up with a way to make her creations automated, and not dependent on a magic user being available to use them…”

“She really does think of everything,” muttered Raven, heading for an entry hatch on the starboard side of the ship. Since it was so small, there was no need for a transporter. The five of them climbed inside and began to look around. Gem got right to business. “Ms. Dazzle, take Mr. Carter to [Engineering](http://bit.ly/2z2zMo3) and see how the warp core is doing,” she said. “Mr. Le Beau, I’d like you to join Raven and I on the [bridge](http://bit.ly/2Sm7jma).”

“Oui, Capitaine,” said Le Beau, doing just that.

To Gem’s great surprise, they found a complete lack of corpses, as though whoever had brought the ship here had ejected the original crew into the vacuum of space. Raven bent over a console as she tried to get a computer working. Lights flicked on, and the displays crackled to life. Gem’s combadge beeped: _“Dazzle to Captain Shadow: I’ve managed to get auxiliary power working, warp drive is offline, and it doesn’t look repairable without proper equipment.”_

“Can you at least get the impulse engines working?” Gem asked.

 _“I’ll need about an hour or so, but I think so,”_ Adagio replied. _“If you and Raven cast the invisibility spell, we should be able to take off and guide the ship to the Enterprise’s shuttlebay without attracting undue attention.”_

“We don’t have that kind of time, Dagi,” Raven interrupted. “I can hear human voices outside.”

“How?” Le Beau asked. “I can’t hear anything!”

“We’re half pony,” Gem explained quickly. “And we ponies have much better senses than you humans do.” She turned to her sister. “Enemy voices?”

Raven listened a little longer. “Yes… German. Which can only mean…”

“Klink must have sent some of his men out not long after we left,” Le Beau said. “Merde… how can we get back to camp without getting caught?”

“Long-range teleport spell,” said Gem. “But we’ll have to hurry.” She tapped her badge. “Miss Dazzle, report to the bridge at once, and prepare to cast a long-range teleport spell. Between the three of us we should have enough magic to make it back to Barracks 2.”

“Yes ma’am, Dazzle out,” Adagio said. Soon, she and Carter returned, and the five of them grabbed one another’s hands.

“You two might feel a little strange afterwards, but trust me, what we’re about to do is perfectly safe,” said Gem, as she, Raven, and Adagio began to concentrate their powers. They ponied up, and in a flash of rainbow light, disappeared from the bridge of the Serenity.

Seconds later, one of Klink’s goons (who’d spotted their footprints in the snow) managed to figure out how to operate the door and stumbled onto the bridge. He surveyed the empty room, sighed, and said to his companion, “Wir haben sie so _sehr_ vermisst.”

* * *

Minutes later, Gem, Raven, Adagio, Carter, and Le Beau appeared in Barracks 2, which was mercifully empty, as the other prisoners were busy with other activities. Hogan came in from his office. “How’d it go?”

“Well, we found the Serenity,” Gem answered. “The bad news is, Colonel Klink’s men got there not long after we did. If they can figure out how to transport it to the camp, then that’s what they’ll do. They’ve just made this mission even more difficult.” She headed for the door. “If you’ll excuse me, Colonel, I must report back at once.” She hurried away.

* * *

Back aboard the _Enterprise_ , K’bleh the Klingon was manning the tactical station when a light began to flash on her console. “Commander, incoming transmission from Captain Shadow,” she said. “Audio only. Opening a hailing frequency now.”

 _“Enterprise, this is Captain Shadow,”_ Gem said. _“The Germans have captured the Serenity. Repeat: the Germans have captured the Serenity.”_

As she spoke, the ship itself began to change. Nazi swastikas decorated the floor and doors, the displays changed languages from Federation Standard to German, and the combadge designs were altered to a German eagle with a Starfleet delta held in its wings, and a swastika carved into the delta tip.

Twilight felt her blood turn to ice. “No… you’re serious?”

 _“Deadly so,”_ Gem answered. _“Even if all they manage to do is strip her for parts, there is no question: they will have won the war.”_


	4. One of Our Starships is Missing: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gem, Raven, Adagio, and Hogan's heroes race to rescue a captured starship from German hands.

_“Second officer’s log, supplemental: With the capture of the Serenity by the Nazi Reich, we’ve noticed several changes have taken place aboard the ship. Swastikas are everywhere, our computer displays are all in German, even the ship hull now designates this vessel as the Reich Raumschiff Enterprise, in service to the Raumwaffe, or space force. About the only thing that hasn’t are our memories, we can still remember the Federation timeline. Which is good news, as it means there is a chance that the Serenity can be liberated.”_

* * *

The prisoners of Stalag 13 were gathered in front of their respective barracks, awaiting the arrival of an important visitor. They didn’t have to wait long, because within a few minutes of roll call being completed, the camp’s main gates swung open, and a Mercedes-Benz 770 trundled through them, with Nazi flags attached to the front bumper. A man in a high-rank German uniform approached Klink, and spoke. “I am Major Hauptman of the Führer's staff,” he said.

“Oh, you are?” said Klink, in a disbelieving tone of voice. “And why didn’t you bring the Führer with you?”

The man gestured, and Klink marched over, coming to a stop beside a [man](http://www.farfarawaysite.com/section/doctor/gallery2/gallery8/hires/9.jpg) dressed in a brown coat with a red and white armband. He had dark hair which was parted to one side, and a toothbrush mustache. Klink saluted, and gasped, “Heil Hitler…”

“This man is the Commandant?” asked Hitler, turning to Major Hauptmann.

Hauptmann nodded. “Jawohl, mein Führer.”

Hitler nodded too. “Excellent. Colonel Klink, my staff tells me you possess technology that is of great importance to the Third Reich. I would like to see it.”

“But of course, mein Führer,” said Klink. “As it happens, our three newest prisoners were captured alongside this new technology. Shall I introduce you to them?”

“Ja,” said Hitler plainly.

Across the courtyard, Hogan, his men, and the three Starfleeters watched the exchange with wary expressions. “Now that’s something you don’t see every day,” said Hogan quietly. “The most evil man the world has ever known, right here in our own little prison camp.”

“Until Donald Trump is elected, anyway,” said Gem dryly.

Newkirk blinked. “Donald who?”

“Donald Trump,” Gem repeated. “The forty-fifth American president. Much like our dear friend Adolf, he was elected to office on a platform soaked in racism and hate. He despised the press, implied immigrants were all criminals, kept white nationalists among his staff, refused to speak out against American Nazis, and even built concentration camps to contain young children.”

“Impossible,” growled Hogan. “No president would ever do something like that.”

“And yet, my dear colonel, the evidence is right here in front of us,” Gem continued. “Trump and Hitler are separated by little more than time and the Atlantic ocean. Both men were swept into power promising to make their countries great again, if only they could remove this enemy from within. Discrimination against Jews, immigrants, Equestrians like myself, the torture of heretics, the burning of witches, you think it’s all ancient history. Then, before you can blink an eye, it suddenly threatens to start all over again. If I have learned anything about humans, it is that no matter how far in the future you go, people like Trump and Hitler will always be with you, waiting for the right climate in which to flourish, spreading fear in the name of righteousness.”

Silence met her words as Klink approached the group, Hitler walking alongside him. “Mein Führer, allow me to introduce Colonel Robert Hogan, Senior Prisoner of War officer,” Klink said.

“Charmed,” said Hitler tonelessly. “And the women?”

“I am Captain Carina Tenebrae, HMS Endeavour, British Royal Navy,” said Gem. “This is my First Officer, Commander Jessie Ibbott, and my weapons chief, Kristy Boatwright.”

“Very good,” Hitler continued. “If you truly are experts about this technology as the Commandant has claimed, you will demonstrate it for me at once,” he ordered, meeting Gem’s eyes.

Gem didn’t even flinch as she stared back. “No,” she said simply.

The camp went dead quiet. No one, not even Klink or Schultz, dared to move.

Hitler spoke, his voice low and soft. “You dare deny me the chance to put an end to this war once and for all?” he asked. “To halt the intransigent Allied forces’ march across Europe? To ensure that we, the Aryan race, wipe out the lesser races forever?”

“To halt your attempt to crush the lesser races, conquer the galaxy, obtain unlimited rice pudding, etcetera, etcetera?” Gem spat. “Yes, I do! And I would do it a hundred, a thousand times more!”

Raven and Adagio looked at each other in utter shock. Even Klink looked thunderstruck, he turned to the two women and asked, “Has she gone mad?”

“No idea,” Raven admitted. “It hasn’t been the first time we’ve seen her like this… if I were him,” she pointed to Hitler, “I’d be running for the hills.”

Hitler tried several times to speak again, but Gem overrode him: “You, sir, are the most vile, morally abhorrent, disgusting man yet born in the history of this planet!” she yelled, telltale electricity beginning to build around her fingertips as she got more and more upset. “You are fortunate that I do not strike you down where you stand!”

“Many have tried to kill me before, all have failed,” Hitler replied, shouting himself now. “What could a female such as yourself do?!”

“You are about to find out,” Gem snarled, fury she hadn’t felt since the fight with Chrysalis now filling her body. Her disguise spell failed, her skin shifting back to grey to the stunned looks of everyone but Raven, Adagio, and Hogan.

“GEM, NO!” Raven yelled, tackling her sister from behind and holding her down, then applying a Vulcan neck pinch. Gem stilled immediately, unconscious. She looked up at Adagio, eyes wide with fear. “Run, Dagi!”

“With respect Commander, where to?!” Adagio exclaimed. “We’re surrounded by enemies!”

Hitler, meanwhile, was looking between Gem and Klink, a weird mix of fury and surprise on his face. “Colonel,” he eventually said to Klink, “Who _are_ these women?”

“I… do not know anymore, mein Führer,” Klink said. “I believed them to be ordinary prisoners at first, but…” He gestured to Gem. “She does not appear to be even human. Perhaps she is… alien.”

“Perhaps so,” said Hitler. “I want all three of them questioned, tortured if necessary. I will put Major Hochstetter on that case at once.”

“As for the ship?” Klink asked.

“Have it sent to Berlin,” Hitler replied. “I shall have my scientists strip it for parts and perhaps incorporate what they find into some of our new rocket designs.” He turned to leave.

Klink saluted. “Heil… you,” he finished, lamely.

“Indeed,” said Hitler, returning to his car.

* * *

With the three Equestrians taken to the Cooler until Hochstetter could arrive, that left Hogan and his men in their barracks, mulling over the situation. Finally, Newkirk broke the tense silence: “I’ll say one thing for ‘er, Colonel: for an alien, she sure has nerves of steel.”

Hogan chuckled humorlessly. “You can say that again, Newkirk… looks like we’ve got our job for today.”

“What’s the plan, Colonel?” Kinch asked.

“One thing’s for sure, we gotta stop that truck they’re loading with the Serenity from getting to Berlin,” Hogan replied. “If it gets there, then the ball game really is over.”

“Too bad we can’t bomb it,” said Carter. “From what Commander Dazzle was telling me, doing that would risk blowing up the ship.”

“Unless…” Hogan hummed thoughtfully. “We simply made it _look_ like it was blown up.”

“And how are we supposed to make that happen?” Newkirk asked.

Hogan smiled. “With the one thing we don’t have, but our alien friends do: magic.”

* * *

In their cell in the Cooler, Gem was lying on the uncomfortable bed, her head in her hands. “I was such a fool back there… I jeopardized the entire mission!”

“Don’t talk like that, Gem,” said Raven, wrapping her arms around Gem and pulling her into a hug. She and Adagio had also changed back into their normal Equestrian human forms, realizing there wasn’t much point in hiding now that Hitler himself knew what they truly were. “Sure, you screamed at the guy who’s been taking over everything in sight with mad delusions of grandeur, but you do that all the time.”

“We’ll find a way out of this mess,” Adagio agreed. “As soon as we find a way out of this place, anyway.”

Before anyone could say anything more, two guards and a [third man](http://bit.ly/2z2g0Jn) entered. Dressed in an all-black SS uniform and a thin mustache, his most distinctive feature was the black gloves he wore on his hands. He marched into the cell, and pointed at Raven and Adagio. “Out! Guards, I want these two females out of this cell at once! What are they doing here?!” he barked.

“Well, sir, they refuse to be separated from her,” said one of the guards. “They say they’re like family!”

 _“What are they doing here?!”_ the man shouted, in a louder voice.

“Now hang on, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” Raven interrupted, getting to her feet. “We like to know the names of the people we’ll be talking to!”

“I am Major Wolfgang Hochstetter, head of the Hammelburg SS division,” said the man. “But I don’t see why that matters to prisoners like you! _WHAT ARE THESE WOMEN DOING HERE?!_ ”

“We’ll remove them now, Herr Major,” said the other guard, entering the cell and dragging Raven and Adagio away.

Once the other two were gone, Hochstetter seemed to calm down. He fixed Gem with an icy stare. “Meine Fräulein, I would not suggest getting too comfortable,” he growled, running his gloved hands along Gem’s chin. Gem shivered beneath his touch. “If you will not tell us what you know and where you are from voluntarily, we have other ways of extracting the information from you. Females are weak, you will buckle in no time.”

“That’s what your Führer said too,” Gem said dryly. “You Nazis don’t seem to value women very much, do you?”

“Enough!” Hochstetter barked. “What is your name and rank?”

Gem scowled. “You will not get so much as a word from me, Major,” she hissed. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been interrogated, you know.”

“It is unwise to deny me my information, my dear. There is a war on, after all.” Hochstetter said, otherwise ignoring Gem’s statement. “If you will not cooperate voluntarily, then I suppose we shall have to begin the hard way.” He took out a vial of liquid, but before he could give it to Gem, a third guard hurried into the room.

“Phone call for you, sir,” said the guard. “It’s from Berchtesgaden!”

Hochstetter sighed. “Now?! But I am busy interrogating this prisoner!”

The guard nodded. “They say it is urgent!”

“Very well,” Hochstetter grumbled. “I will return shortly, meine Fräulein.” He walked away, leaving Gem alone.

That was, until, the sink moved to one side, and Carter popped out, grinning. “Hiya, Captain!”

Gem beamed. “Mr. Carter! Am I glad to see you! Have you come to rescue us?”

Carter nodded, and looked around. “Where are the other two?”

“In another cell,” Gem answered. “One moment, please.” She got up and crossed to the door, unlocking it with her magic screwdriver. She stepped through, and after knocking out the guards, went to fetch Raven and Adagio, who followed her into the tunnel entrance.

“You came in at just the right time,” Raven said, as the four of them walked through the tunnels once more. “Hochstetter got a phone call before he could do anything to Gem!”

Carter smiled some more. “That’s just Kinch, doing his voice impression of Hitler,” he explained. “Colonel Hogan has a plan to help you get your ship back, but we had to rescue you to make it work!”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you did,” said Gem, placing a soft kiss on Carter’s cheek. Carter blushed.

* * *

“So, here’s what we have in mind,” said Hogan, sitting across the main table of Barracks 2 from the Starfleeters. “We need to make it look like the truck carrying your ship has blown up, without it actually blowing up. Would your magical abilities allow you to do that?”

“Only if we’re on the truck itself,” said Raven. “Remote spell casting doesn’t really work where we come from.”

“What if we deploy some of our own weapons?” Gem asked. “The tickle bomb, perhaps?”

“Sounds reasonable to me,” said Adagio.

“And what is a tickle bomb?” Hogan asked, confused.

“It’s a kind of torpedo that’s enchanted to cause uncontrollable laughter in anyone who is hit with it,” Adagio explained. “Other than that, it causes no damage to a ship or any of its crew.”

“I see.” Hogan nodded. “But how are you going to get the other ship off the truck?”

“The tractor beam!” said Raven suddenly. “It can lock on to the ship and tow the ship out!”

“We’ll have to wait until nighttime though,” Adagio said. “To try it in broad daylight now would be far too risky.”

Hogan checked his watch. “Sunset is in a few minutes,” he said. “And it takes about four hours to drive from here to Berlin… This sounds just crazy enough to work.”

“There’s just one more thing to sort out,” Gem pointed out. “How are we going to make sure this is executed properly?”

“Newkirk and I will disguise ourselves as German officers,” Hogan said. “We’ll take you three along, acting as our prisoners. When we get about an hour or so outside of camp, that’s when you deploy your tickle bomb.”

Gem nodded, getting to her feet. “Very good, Colonel. Make it so!”

* * *

A couple of hours later, the transport truck _finally_ trundled out of Stalag 13, with Hogan and Newkirk acting as guards for the three Equestrians. The Serenity lay in pieces in the back, as it had to be disassembled just to be placed inside.

Once they were outside of the camp grounds, Gem took her combadge out and tapped it twice. “Shadow to Enterprise, do you receive me?”

“Loud and clear, Captain,” replied Twilight Sparkle. “What do you need?”

“There is a German military transport truck on its way to Berlin,” Gem began. “Ready the laughter torpedoes and prepare to fire them on my command.”

“The laughter torpedoes, ma’am?” Twilight echoed.

“Yes, Ms. Sparkle,” Gem confirmed.

There was a pause, and Twilight said: “Laughter torpedoes armed and ready, Captain.”

“Fire!” Gem barked. Instantly, several jets of pink light zoomed toward the truck and detonated, causing the drivers to double up with laughter. They wound up driving into a ditch, and Gem (who was impervious to the tickle bomb anyway, being Equestrian) said, “Very good, Ms. Sparkle! Engage tractor beam and pull up the ship to the main shuttlebay!”

A cone of blue light now shone down from the night sky, which advanced toward the truck. With loud creaking and scraping noises, the remains of the Serenity were slowly pulled from the truck’s cargo hold and out into the air, toward the invisible Enterprise far above.

* * *

Soon, Hogan and Gem were walking back through the tunnel toward Barracks 2, chatting. As they got to the bed entrance, Gem smiled. “Well, Colonel, I suppose this is where we part,” she said.

“I guess so,” said Hogan, nodding. “You’re not worried about the Krauts going public with all this?”

Gem laughed. “Hitler is a psychotic madman, not even his top generals will believe that he met an alien woman with grey skin, and Klink… well, I’m sure he will manage to convince himself that this was all a bad dream.” She took his hand in her light grey one. “I’ve spent many years with others of your species, Colonel, and I have learned that humans have the most amazing capacity for self-deception, matched only by its ingenuity when trying to destroy itself.”

“You can say that again,” said Hogan with a sigh. “I know I’ll be glad when this war ends.”

“Soon, my dear colonel, soon,” Gem whispered. “There’s just one more thing I must do.” And before Hogan could say anything, she kissed him deeply.

After the kiss, Hogan chuckled. “You know, for an alien horse girl, you kiss a lot like a human.”

Gem giggled. “I’m half pony, not horse. And… well, chalk that up to twenty-fifth century engineering. Were I a full pony, I would have to stand on my hind hooves, and equine muzzles and human mouths aren’t meant for each other anyway.” She kissed his cheek. “That was for being such a tremendous help. We would not have been able to manage without you.”

Hogan smiled. “All in a day’s work for us, Captain. Travel safely.”

“And keep up the good fight,” Gem replied, saluting. “Enterprise, one to beam up.” She disappeared.

Once she was gone, Hogan ran his hand along the place where she’d kissed his cheek. “I don’t think I’ll be telling London about this one,” he murmured, climbing up the ladder to his barracks.

* * *

The USS Enterprise zoomed through the starfield. Back in her Starfleet uniform, Gem settled into her ready room chair, holding a cup of earl grey tea in her magic. “Computer, record log entry,” she said. There was a beeping noise, and Gem began to speak again, as if narrating.

_“Captain’s log, stardate 83692.1. I am pleased to report that we have returned to our own time with the Serenity intact, and no record of our little escapade appeared in the history books. As far as the wider world knows, first contact occurred on 5 April 2063 in Bozeman, Montana, and not in Hammelburg, Germany. The war ended with an Allied victory, and according to historical records, Stalag 13 was liberated in May 1945, with Colonel Hogan being awarded a service medal for his actions with the Underground resistance movement. In 1965, he, his former crewmates, and Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz (who were not tried for war crimes as they were both deemed too incompetent to commit them), participated in a comedic recreation of his time in Stalag 13. The television series was called Hogan’s Heroes.”_

Gem leaned back in her chair, smiling. “I think, after such a harrowing first mission, a break is in order…” She finished her tea and headed off to the turbolift, and from there, the holodecks.

* * *

Back on Earth, in the secret underground headquarters of Section 31, Steno Pad (in his disguise as a human agent of the organization) walked into the office of the section head. The room was dark, preventing Steno from seeing the head’s face. “The Equestrians successfully completed the Serenity mission, sir,” he said.

“Curses,” said the man behind the desk. “I thought for sure they’d fail. The presence of that ridiculous magic of theirs on that ship alone should’ve gotten them kicked out.”

“What are you going to do tonight, sir?” Steno asked, knowing what was coming.

“The same thing I do every night, Pinkerton: try to take out the Equestrians,” said Captain Robert Neighsay.


End file.
